CN110291681B - Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station - Google Patents

Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN110291681B
CN110291681B CN201780086163.8A CN201780086163A CN110291681B CN 110291681 B CN110291681 B CN 110291681B CN 201780086163 A CN201780086163 A CN 201780086163A CN 110291681 B CN110291681 B CN 110291681B
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
resonant cavity
hole
dielectric filter
dielectric
dielectric block
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
CN201780086163.8A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Other versions
CN110291681A (en
Inventor
姜涛
郭继勇
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd filed Critical Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority to CN202111210399.2A priority Critical patent/CN113991267B/en
Publication of CN110291681A publication Critical patent/CN110291681A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CN110291681B publication Critical patent/CN110291681B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Images

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P11/00Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
    • H01P11/007Manufacturing frequency-selective devices
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/20Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters
    • H01P1/2002Dielectric waveguide filters
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/20Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters
    • H01P1/201Filters for transverse electromagnetic waves
    • H01P1/205Comb or interdigital filters; Cascaded coaxial cavities
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/20Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters
    • H01P1/207Hollow waveguide filters
    • H01P1/208Cascaded cavities; Cascaded resonators inside a hollow waveguide structure
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/20Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters
    • H01P1/207Hollow waveguide filters
    • H01P1/208Cascaded cavities; Cascaded resonators inside a hollow waveguide structure
    • H01P1/2084Cascaded cavities; Cascaded resonators inside a hollow waveguide structure with dielectric resonators
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/20Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters
    • H01P1/212Frequency-selective devices, e.g. filters suppressing or attenuating harmonic frequencies
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P11/00Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
    • H01P11/001Manufacturing waveguides or transmission lines of the waveguide type
    • H01P11/006Manufacturing dielectric waveguides
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P7/00Resonators of the waveguide type
    • H01P7/06Cavity resonators
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P7/00Resonators of the waveguide type
    • H01P7/10Dielectric resonators
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04BTRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40Circuits

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Control Of Motors That Do Not Use Commutators (AREA)

Abstract

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of filters, in particular to a dielectric filter, a transceiver device and a base station. Wherein the dielectric filter includes: the surface of the dielectric block is covered with a metal layer, and the dielectric block comprises at least two resonant cavities; the dielectric block is provided with a through hole, the through hole is positioned between two adjacent resonant cavities, and the inner wall of the through hole is covered with a metal layer; the dielectric block is provided with a first isolating ring on the surface surrounding at least one opening of the through hole, and an area surrounded by the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the outer edge of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block. The dielectric filter, the transceiver device and the base station provided by the embodiment of the invention have simple structures for realizing capacitive coupling, and can reduce the processing difficulty of the dielectric filter.

Description

Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station
Technical Field
The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of filters, in particular to a dielectric filter, a transceiver device and a base station.
Background
With the development of the filter industry, miniaturization and lightweight filters gradually become a trend. The dielectric waveguide can greatly reduce the size of a product, has the advantages of high Q value, small temperature drift and the like, and is a good miniaturization solution for the filter.
In order to realize the band-pass filtering effect, the dielectric filter needs to be designed to realize high-end zero suppression and low-end zero suppression of the pass band. The low-end zero of the filter passband can be generated through capacitive coupling, so that the low-end zero suppression outside the passband is realized. However, for dielectric filters, capacitive coupling is not as simple to implement as inductive coupling, requiring special design.
In the prior art, one way to implement capacitive coupling on a dielectric filter is to: and digging blind grooves or blind holes on the dielectric filter, and realizing capacitive coupling on the dielectric filter by controlling the depth of the blind grooves or blind holes. Although the method can realize the capacitive coupling on the dielectric filter, the depth of the blind slot or the blind hole needs to be accurately controlled, and if the depth control of the blind slot or the blind hole is not suitable, the blind slot or the blind hole can form inductive coupling.
In the above scheme, because the depth of the blind groove or the blind hole needs to be accurately controlled, certain difficulty in processing precision control is brought, especially for high-frequency miniaturized devices, the precision requirement is higher, the difficulty in processing the blind groove or the blind hole is increased sharply, and even the realization is impossible.
Disclosure of Invention
The embodiment of the application provides a dielectric filter, a transceiver device and a base station, which realize the simple structure of capacitive coupling and can reduce the processing difficulty of the dielectric filter.
In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a dielectric filter, including: the surface of the dielectric block is covered with a metal layer, and the dielectric block comprises at least two resonant cavities; the dielectric block is provided with a through hole, the through hole is positioned between two adjacent resonant cavities, and the inner wall of the through hole is covered with a metal layer; the dielectric block is provided with a first isolating ring on the surface surrounding at least one opening of the through hole, and an area surrounded by the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the outer edge of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block. The capacitance coupling between the resonant cavities is realized through the combined structure of the through hole and the conducting layer partition (namely, the first partition ring), the difficulty of processing the through hole and the first partition ring on the dielectric block is less than the difficulty of processing a blind groove or a blind hole with a specified depth on the dielectric block, and therefore the requirement of the dielectric filter on the processing technology is reduced, the problem of precision control when the blind groove or the blind hole is processed is avoided, and particularly, the small high-frequency filter with higher precision requirement can also achieve higher processing precision.
In one possible design, the dielectric block is provided with a slot, the slot divides the dielectric block into at least three resonant cavities, and the inner surface of the slot is covered with a metal layer. The medium block is divided into at least three resonant cavities through the slotting, the slotting is simple in implementation mode and low in processing difficulty, and the number of the formed resonant cavities is at least three, so that the use of an actual filtering scene is facilitated.
In one possible design, an inner edge of the first partition ring is spaced apart from an edge of the through-hole opening. By adjusting the interval between the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the edge of the through hole opening, the capacitive coupling amount in the dielectric filter can be adjusted, and then the position of the low-end zero point of the dielectric filter can be adjusted.
In one possible design, the center line of the first blocker ring coincides with the axis of the through-hole. The central line of the first isolating ring coincides with the axis of the through hole, so that the requirement of engineering design is met, and in addition, the structure of the dielectric filter is attractive.
In one possible design, both open sides of the through-hole have the first blocking ring. The first isolating rings are arranged on the two opening sides of the through hole, so that the capacitive coupling amount of the dielectric filter can be increased.
In one possible design, the through-hole is a circular through-hole. The through holes are designed to be circular, and the processing difficulty of the dielectric filter can be further reduced.
In one possible design, the through-hole is a polygonal through-hole. Optionally, the polygon may be a triangle through hole, a rectangle through hole, a pentagon through hole, a hexagon through hole, and other various possible polygon through holes.
In one possible design, a second isolating ring is further arranged on the dielectric block; the dielectric block is exposed between the inner edge and the outer edge of the second isolating ring; and the metal layer of the region surrounded by the inner edge of the second isolating ring is used as a signal input end or a signal output end. The metal layer of the region surrounded by the inner edge of the second isolating ring is used as a signal input end or a signal output end, an extra port does not need to be designed on the dielectric filter and used as the signal input end or the signal output end, and the implementation mode of the signal input end or the signal output end is simple and ingenious.
In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a transceiver device, including: the dielectric filter described above.
In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station, including the transceiver device described above.
The dielectric filter, the transceiver equipment and the base station realize the capacitive coupling between the resonant cavities through the combined structure of the through holes and the conductive partition layers, the structure for realizing the capacitive coupling in the dielectric filter is simple, the processing difficulty is reduced, and the technical problem that the depth of a blind groove or a blind hole in the prior art is difficult to accurately control is solved.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of equivalent coupling elements of two resonators distributed on two sides of a through hole in the embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a signal input on a dielectric filter in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 5 is an equivalent schematic diagram of the dielectric filter of FIG. 4;
fig. 6 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4;
FIG. 7 is a schematic band-pass diagram of a dielectric filter according to an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a low-end zero adjustment curve of a dielectric filter according to an embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 10 is an equivalent schematic diagram of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9;
fig. 11 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9;
fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 13 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12;
fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a transceiver device according to an embodiment of the present application;
reference numerals: 1-a first resonant cavity, 2-a second resonant cavity, 3-a third resonant cavity, 4-a first slot, 5-a second slot, 6-a through hole, 7-a first isolating ring, 7 a-an outer edge of the first isolating ring, 7 b-an inner edge of the first isolating ring, 8-a fourth resonant cavity, 9-a second isolating ring, 10-a fifth resonant cavity, 11-a sixth resonant cavity, 12-a microstrip feeder, 21-an antenna, 22-a dielectric filter, 23-a switch, 24-a signal transmitting branch, 25-a signal receiving branch, 241-a power amplifier and 251-a low noise amplifier.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric filter according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the dielectric filter includes a dielectric block with a metal layer covering the surface, and the dielectric block is made of a solid dielectric material. In fig. 1, the metal layer covering the surface of the dielectric block is not shown, and for the structure shown in fig. 1, the metal layer covers each side of the structure shown in fig. 1 except for the parts specifically indicated.
The dielectric block shown in fig. 1 includes at least two resonant cavities. As shown in fig. 1, a slot may be provided on the dielectric block, and the dielectric block is divided into at least two resonant cavities by the slot, and it should be noted that the inner surface of each slot is also covered with a metal layer. For example, in fig. 1, two first slots 4 separate the dielectric block into two resonant cavities, namely a first resonant cavity 1 and a second resonant cavity 2. The first resonant cavity 1 and the second resonant cavity 2 are equivalent to a circuit with parallel coupling of inductance and capacitance.
In order to form capacitive coupling in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 1, the dielectric block shown in fig. 1 is further provided with a through hole 6, the through hole 6 is positioned between two adjacent resonant cavities, as in fig. 1, the through hole 6 is arranged between the first resonant cavity 1 and the second resonant cavity 2, and the inner wall of the through hole 6 is covered with a metal layer. Further, a first isolating ring 7 is arranged on the surface of the dielectric block around at least one opening of the through hole 6, and the area enclosed by the inner edge 7b of the first isolating ring and the outer edge 7a of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block. Optionally, the centre line of the first break ring 7 coincides with the axis of the through hole 6.
In the embodiment of the present application, since the combination of the first isolation ring 7 and the through hole 6 is provided on the dielectric filter, structural discontinuity is generated, so that the electric field in the vicinity of the through hole 6 and the first isolation ring 7 is more concentrated, and electric energy can be stored, as shown in fig. 2, the combined structure of the first isolation ring 7 and the through hole 6 is equivalent to a capacitor for storing electric energy.
In addition, although the through hole 6 in which the first isolation ring 7 is not provided has a structural discontinuity, magnetic field energy is dominant in the vicinity of the through hole 6, and an inductive property is exhibited.
In the embodiment of the present application, the inner edge of the first isolating ring 7 and the opening edge of the through hole 6 may coincide, and optionally, the inner edge of the first isolating ring 7 and the opening edge of the through hole 6 are disposed at an interval. The capacitive coupling quantity of the dielectric filter can be adjusted by adjusting the interval between the inner edge of the first isolating ring 7 and the edge of the opening of the through hole 6, and then the low-end zero position of the dielectric filter can be adjusted.
In addition, the shape of the through hole 6 on the dielectric filter according to the embodiment of the present application can be designed according to actual needs, for example, the through hole can be designed as a circular through hole 6, and can also be designed as a polygonal through hole, wherein the circular through hole is simpler to process; the design is polygonal through holes, and can be triangular through holes, rectangular through holes, pentagonal through holes, hexagonal through holes and other various polygonal through holes.
Further, the shape of the through hole 6 in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 1 may be the same as or different from the shape of the first partition ring 7. For example, the through hole 6 is a circular through hole, and the first partition ring 7 is a square ring or an irregularly shaped partition ring. The specific shape and size of the blocking ring can be adjusted according to the performance requirement of the dielectric filter, and is not particularly limited.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 1, the first blocking ring 7 is provided at one opening side of the through-hole 6, and in an alternative embodiment, the first blocking ring 7 may be provided at both opening sides of the through-hole 6.
Further, the dielectric filter of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a transceiver device, for example, a base station. The dielectric filter shown in fig. 1 is also provided with a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal for connection to a circuit configuration in the transceiver device.
For example, a signal input terminal is provided on the first cavity 1 and a signal output terminal is provided on the second cavity 2 in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a signal input terminal arranged on the first cavity 1. Taking the structure shown in fig. 3 as an example, the structure of the signal input terminal is: the second isolating ring 9 is arranged on the first resonant cavity 1, a dielectric block is exposed between the inner edge and the outer edge of the second isolating ring 9, and a metal layer of an area surrounded by the inner edge of the second isolating ring 9 is used as a signal input end.
In the embodiment of the present application, the structure of the signal output end and the structure of the signal input end may be the same, specifically:
and a third isolating ring is arranged on the second resonant cavity 2, a dielectric block is exposed between the inner edge and the outer edge of the third isolating ring, and a metal layer of an area surrounded by the inner edge of the third isolating ring is used as a signal output end.
Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in this embodiment. As shown in fig. 4, the dielectric filter includes a dielectric block with a metal layer covering the surface, and the dielectric block is made of a solid dielectric material. In fig. 4, the metal layer covering the surface of the dielectric block is not shown, and for the structure shown in fig. 4, the metal layer covers each side of the structure shown in fig. 4 except for the specific parts.
As shown in fig. 4, the dielectric block has a first slot 4 and a second slot 5, and the inner surfaces of the first slot 4 and the second slot 5 are also covered with a metal layer. The first slot 4 and the second slot 5 divide the dielectric block into three resonant cavities, specifically, the first slot 4 is used for dividing the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3, the second slot 5 is used for dividing the first resonant cavity 1 and the second resonant cavity 2, and the second slot 5 is also used for dividing the second resonant cavity 2 and the third resonant cavity 3.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, each resonant cavity is equivalent to a parallel circuit of inductive and capacitive couplings, a narrow channel between two adjacent resonant cavities is a window between the resonant cavities, and a coupling between two adjacent resonant cavities formed based on the window is inductive coupling.
When a signal is input from the first cavity 1 and output from the third cavity 3 of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, two signal paths are formed on the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, as shown in fig. 5, including:
first path (solid line identification): a signal path from the first resonant cavity 1 to the second resonant cavity 2 to the third resonant cavity 3;
second path (dashed line): signal path of the first cavity 1-the third cavity 3.
When the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3 in the second path is inductive coupling, the phases of two path signals after the input signal passes through the first resonant cavity 1 to the third resonant cavity 3 are the same, and the signals are superposed in the same phase and do not generate a zero point; when the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3 in the second path is capacitive coupling, the phases of the two path signals after the input signal passes through the first resonant cavity 1 to the third resonant cavity 3 are opposite, and the signals of the two paths are cancelled, so that a zero point can be generated.
In order to enable the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3 in the second path to be capacitive coupling, as shown in fig. 4, a through hole 6 is provided between the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3, the inner wall of the through hole 6 is covered with a metal layer, a first isolating ring 7 is provided on the surface of the dielectric block around at least one opening of the through hole, and an area surrounded by an inner edge 7b of the first isolating ring and an outer edge 7a of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block. Optionally, the inner edge 7b of the first partition ring is spaced from the edge of the through hole 6. Optionally, the centre line of the first break ring 7 coincides with the axis of the through hole 6.
Due to the fact that the combination of the first isolating ring 7 and the through hole 6 is arranged in the dielectric filter, structural discontinuity is generated in the dielectric filter, electric fields near the through hole 6 and the first isolating ring 7 are more concentrated, electric energy can be stored, and the combined structure of the first isolating ring 7 and the through hole 6 is equivalent to a capacitor for storing the electric energy.
As shown in fig. 6, the equivalent circuit of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4 is that, on the first path, the first resonant cavity 1, the second resonant cavity 2 and the third resonant cavity 3 are inductively coupled, on the second path, the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3 are capacitively coupled, and since the phases of signals in the two paths are opposite, the signals in the two paths cancel each other out, so that the low-end zero suppression of the band pass can be generated.
As shown in fig. 7, in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, the high-end zero point a of the pass band of the filter is formed by inductive coupling, and the low-end zero point B of the pass band is formed by capacitive coupling.
As shown in fig. 8, by adjusting the diameter of the through hole 6 and the width of the first isolation ring 7, the coupling amount of the capacitive coupling can be adjusted, and further, the position of the low-end zero point of the passband of the filter can be adjusted, wherein when the diameter of the through hole 6 is increased and/or the width of the first isolation ring 7 is increased, the equivalent capacitance value is increased, the corresponding capacitive coupling amount is increased, and the corresponding zero point position of the filter is moved. As shown in fig. 8, point B1 is the lower-end zero point position when the capacitive coupling amount is relatively large, point B3 is the lower-end zero point position when the capacitive coupling amount is relatively small, and the capacitive coupling amount between the two resonators corresponding to the lower-end zero point position B2 is greater than the capacitive coupling amount between the two resonators corresponding to point B3 and is less than the capacitive coupling amount between the two resonators corresponding to point B1.
Therefore, the dielectric filter provided by the embodiment of the application can adjust the strength of capacitive coupling by adjusting the diameter of the through hole 6 and the width of the first isolating ring 7, so that strong coupling between the resonant cavities can be easily realized.
In addition, the shape of the through hole 6 in the dielectric filter according to the embodiment of the present application can be designed according to actual needs, for example, the through hole can be designed as a circular through hole 6, and can also be designed as a polygonal through hole 6, wherein the circular through hole 6 is simpler to process; the polygonal through-hole 6 may be a variety of polygonal through-holes 6, such as a triangular through-hole 6, a rectangular through-hole 6, a pentagonal through-hole 6, and a hexagonal through-hole 6.
Further, the shape of the through hole 6 in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4 may be the same as or different from the shape of the first partition ring 7. For example, the through hole 6 is a circular through hole, and the first partition ring 7 is a square ring or an irregularly shaped partition ring. The specific shape and size of the first blocking ring 7 can be adjusted according to the performance requirements of the dielectric filter, and is not particularly limited.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, the first barrier ring 7 is provided on one open side of the through-hole 6, and in an alternative embodiment, the first barrier ring 7 may be provided on both open sides of the through-hole 6.
Further, the dielectric filter of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a transceiver device, for example, a base station. The dielectric filter shown in fig. 4 is also provided with a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal for connection to a circuit configuration in the transceiver device.
For example, a signal input end is disposed on the first resonant cavity 1 and a signal output end is disposed on the third resonant cavity 3 in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 4, wherein the manner of disposing the signal input end and the signal output end on the dielectric filter is the same as that in fig. 3, and is not described again.
Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, the dielectric filter includes a dielectric block with a metal layer covering the surface, and the dielectric block is made of a solid dielectric material. In fig. 9, the metal layer covering the surface of the dielectric block is not shown, and for the structure shown in fig. 9, the surface of the structure shown in fig. 9 is covered with the metal layer except for the specifically indicated portion.
As shown in fig. 9, the dielectric block has two first slots 4 and one second slot 5, wherein the inner surfaces of the two first slots 4 and the second slot 5 are covered with the metal layer. The two first slots 4 and the second slot 5 divide the dielectric block into four resonant cavities, specifically, one of the slots is used for dividing the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8, the other slot is used for dividing the second resonant cavity 2 and the third resonant cavity 3, the second slot 5 is used for dividing the first resonant cavity 1 and the second resonant cavity 2, and is also used for dividing the third resonant cavity 3 and the fourth resonant cavity 8.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9, each resonant cavity is equivalent to a parallel circuit of inductive and capacitive couplings, a narrow channel between two adjacent resonant cavities is a window between the resonant cavities, and the coupling between two adjacent resonant cavities formed by the window is inductive coupling.
When a signal is input from the first cavity 1 and output from the fourth cavity 8 of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9, two signal paths are formed on the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9, as shown in fig. 10, including:
first path (solid line identification): a signal path from the first resonant cavity 1 to the second resonant cavity 2 to the third resonant cavity 3 to the fourth resonant cavity 8;
second path (dashed line): the signal path from the first cavity 1 to the fourth cavity 8.
In the first path, inductive coupling is formed between adjacent resonant cavities based on a windowing structure, when the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8 in the second path is inductive coupling, the phases of two path signals of an input signal passing through the first resonant cavity 1 to the fourth resonant cavity 8 are the same, and zero points are not generated by in-phase superposition of the signals; when the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8 in the second path is capacitive coupling, the phases of the two path signals after the input signal passes through the first resonant cavity 1 to the fourth resonant cavity 8 are opposite, and the signals of the two paths are cancelled, so that a zero point can be generated.
In order to make the coupling between the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8 in the second path be capacitive coupling, as shown in fig. 9, a through hole 6 is provided between the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8, the inner wall of the through hole 6 is covered with a metal layer, a first isolating ring 7 is provided on the surface of the dielectric block around at least one opening side of the through hole 6, and the area enclosed by the inner edge 7b of the first isolating ring and the outer edge 7a of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block. Optionally, the inner edge 7b of the first partition ring is spaced from the edge of the corresponding through hole 6.
In the embodiment of the present application, the combined structure of the through hole 6 and the isolating ring enables capacitive coupling to be formed between the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8, and the equivalent circuit is a capacitive element.
As shown in fig. 11, the equivalent circuit of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9 is that, on the first path, the first resonant cavity 1, the second resonant cavity 2, the third resonant cavity 3, and the fourth resonant cavity 8 are inductively coupled, on the second path, the first resonant cavity 1 and the fourth resonant cavity 8 are capacitively coupled, and because the phases of signals in the two paths are opposite, the signals in the two paths cancel each other out, so that the low-end zero suppression of the band-pass can be generated.
Similarly, in this embodiment, the purpose of adjusting the position of the low-end zero point of the dielectric filter can be achieved by adjusting the diameter of the through hole 6 and the width of the first isolating ring 7.
In addition, the shape of the through hole 6 on the dielectric filter according to the embodiment of the present application can be designed according to actual needs, for example, the through hole can be designed as a circular through hole 6, and can also be designed as a polygonal through hole 6, wherein the circular through hole 6 is simpler to process; the polygonal through-hole 6 may be a variety of polygonal through-holes 6, such as a triangular through-hole 6, a rectangular through-hole 6, a pentagonal through-hole 6, and a hexagonal through-hole 6.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9, the first barrier ring 7 is provided on one opening side of the through-hole 6, and in an alternative embodiment, the first barrier ring 7 may be provided on both opening sides of the through-hole 6.
Further, the dielectric filter of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a transceiver device, for example, a base station. In order to connect with the circuit structure in the transceiver device, the dielectric filter shown in fig. 9 is further provided with a signal input end and a signal output end, where the manner of providing the signal input end and the signal output end on the dielectric filter is the same as that in the embodiment, and is not described again.
Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another dielectric filter provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 12, the dielectric filter includes a dielectric block covered with a metal layer, wherein the metal layer covered on the surface of the dielectric block is not shown in fig. 12, and for the structure shown in fig. 12, except for a part to be specifically indicated, each surface of the structure shown in fig. 12 is covered with the metal layer, and only a part not covered with the metal layer will be specifically described below when describing the structure of fig. 12.
A slot is provided on the dielectric block shown in fig. 12, and the dielectric block is divided into a plurality of resonant cavities by the slot. As shown in fig. 12, four first slots 4 and one second slot 5 are provided on the dielectric block, and the dielectric block is divided into first to sixth resonant cavities 11 by the four first slots 4 and the one second slot 5.
When a signal is input from the first resonator 1 and output from the sixth resonator 11 of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12, two signal paths are formed in the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12, as shown in fig. 12, including:
first path (solid line identification): a signal path from the first resonant cavity 1 to the second resonant cavity 2 to the third resonant cavity 3 to the fourth resonant cavity 8 to the fifth resonant cavity 10 to the sixth resonant cavity 11;
second path (dashed line): the signal path of the first resonant cavity 1-the second resonant cavity 2-the fifth resonant cavity 10-the sixth resonant cavity 11.
In the first path, inductive coupling is formed between adjacent resonant cavities based on a windowing structure, when the coupling between the second resonant cavity 2 and the fifth resonant cavity 10 in the second path is inductive coupling, the phases of signals in the two paths are the same, and the signals are superposed in the same phase and do not generate a zero point; when the coupling between the second resonant cavity 2 and the fifth resonant cavity 10 in the second path is capacitive coupling, the signals in the two paths have opposite phases, and the signals in the two paths cancel each other, so that a zero point can be generated.
In order to enable the coupling between the second resonant cavity 2 and the fifth resonant cavity 10 in the second path to be capacitive coupling, as shown in fig. 12, a through hole 6 is provided between the second resonant cavity 2 and the fifth resonant cavity 10, the inner wall of the through hole 6 is covered with a metal layer, a first isolating ring 7 is provided on the surface of the dielectric block around at least one opening of the through hole 6, and the area surrounded by the inner edge of the first isolating ring 7 and the outer edge of the first isolating ring 7 is exposed out of the dielectric block. Optionally, the inner edge of the first partition ring 7 and the edge of the corresponding through hole 6 are arranged at intervals.
In the embodiment of the present application, the combined structure of the through hole 6 and the isolating ring enables capacitive coupling to be formed between the first resonant cavity 1 and the third resonant cavity 3, and the equivalent circuit is a capacitive element.
As shown in fig. 13, the equivalent circuit of the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12 is that, on the first path, the first resonant cavity 1, the second resonant cavity 2, the third resonant cavity 3, the fourth resonant cavity 8, the fifth resonant cavity 10 and the sixth resonant cavity 11 are inductively coupled, on the second path, the second resonant cavity 2 and the fifth resonant cavity 10 are capacitively coupled, and because the phases of signals in the two paths are opposite, signals in the two paths cancel each other out, so that the low-end zero point suppression of the band pass can be generated.
Similarly, in this embodiment, the purpose of adjusting the position of the low-end zero point of the dielectric filter can be achieved by adjusting the diameter of the through hole 6 and the width of the first isolating ring 7.
Similarly, in this embodiment, the purpose of adjusting the position of the low-end zero point of the dielectric filter can be achieved by adjusting the diameter of the through hole 6 and the width of the first isolating ring 7.
In addition, the shape of the through hole 6 on the dielectric filter according to the embodiment of the present application can be designed according to actual needs, for example, the through hole can be designed as a circular through hole 6, and can also be designed as a polygonal through hole 6, wherein the circular through hole 6 is simpler to process; the polygonal through-hole 6 may be a variety of polygonal through-holes 6, such as a triangular through-hole 6, a rectangular through-hole 6, a pentagonal through-hole 6, and a hexagonal through-hole 6.
In the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12, the first barrier ring 7 is provided on one opening side of the through-hole 6, and in an alternative embodiment, the first barrier ring 7 may be provided on both opening sides of the through-hole 6.
Further, the dielectric filter according to the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a transceiver device, such as a duplexer, a radio frequency signal filter, and the like. In order to connect to the circuit structure in the transceiver device, the dielectric filter shown in fig. 12 is further provided with a signal input end and a signal output end, where the manner of providing the signal input end and the signal output end on the dielectric filter is the same as that in the embodiment, and is not described again. As in fig. 12, the signal input terminal and the signal output terminal on the dielectric filter may be provided on the circuit board through the microstrip feed line 12, and connected to other components through the microstrip feed line 12.
The embodiment of the application also provides a transceiver device, which comprises any one of the dielectric filters provided by the embodiment of the application. Optionally, fig. 13 shows a structure diagram of a possible transceiver device, where the transceiver device includes: a dielectric filter 22, an antenna 21, a switch 23, a signal receiving branch 25 and a signal transmitting branch 24; the antenna 21, the dielectric filter 22 and the control end of the switch 23 are connected in sequence; two selection terminals of the switch 23 are respectively connected to the signal receiving branch 25 and the signal transmitting branch 24. Specifically, a power amplifier 241 may be disposed in the signal transmitting branch 24, and a low noise amplifier 251 may be disposed in the signal receiving branch 25.
The embodiment of the application also provides a base station, and the base station comprises the transceiver equipment provided by the embodiment of the application. The base station described in this application may include various types of network side devices that perform wireless communication with a user equipment, such as a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay station, an access point, or a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), and this application is not limited to this. In systems using different radio access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may be different, for example, in an LTE network, the device is called an evolved node B (eNB or eNodeB), and in a 3G (the 3rd Generation) network, the device is called a node B (node B).
The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present application should be covered within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (9)

1. A dielectric filter, comprising: the surface of the dielectric block is covered with a metal layer, the dielectric block comprises a first resonant cavity, a second resonant cavity and a third resonant cavity, and the first resonant cavity, the second resonant cavity and the third resonant cavity are distributed in a T shape;
the first resonant cavity is used for inputting signals, and the third resonant cavity is used for outputting signals, so that a first path passing through the first resonant cavity, the second resonant cavity and the third resonant cavity and a second path passing through the first resonant cavity and the third resonant cavity are formed; wherein, on the first path, the first resonant cavity, the second resonant cavity, and the third resonant cavity form an inductive coupling;
a through hole is formed in the dielectric block, the through hole is located between the first resonant cavity and the third resonant cavity, a metal layer covers the inner wall of the through hole, a first isolating ring is arranged on the surface of the dielectric block around at least one opening of the through hole, and a region defined by the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the outer edge of the first isolating ring is exposed out of the dielectric block, so that capacitive coupling is formed between the first resonant cavity and the second resonant cavity on the second path, wherein the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the edge of the opening of the through hole are arranged at intervals, and the intervals between the inner edge of the first isolating ring and the edge of the opening of the through hole are used for adjusting the capacitive coupling of the dielectric filter;
the inductive coupling and the capacitive coupling are configured to phase-invert the input signal on the first path and the second path to produce low-side zero rejection of the bandpass.
2. A dielectric filter as recited in claim 1, wherein said dielectric block has a slot therein, said slot dividing said dielectric block into at least three resonant cavities, an inner surface of said slot being covered with a metal layer.
3. A dielectric filter as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein a centerline of the first blocker ring coincides with an axis of the through-hole.
4. A dielectric filter as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein both open sides of said through-hole have said first partition ring.
5. A dielectric filter as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein said through-holes are circular through-holes.
6. A dielectric filter as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein said through-holes are polygonal through-holes.
7. A dielectric filter as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a second break ring is further provided on the dielectric block;
the dielectric block is exposed between the inner edge and the outer edge of the second isolating ring;
and the metal layer of the region surrounded by the inner edge of the second isolating ring is used as a signal input end or a signal output end.
8. A transceiver device, comprising: a dielectric filter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.
9. A base station, comprising: the transceiver apparatus of claim 8.
CN201780086163.8A 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station Active CN110291681B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202111210399.2A CN113991267B (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/CN2017/073789 WO2018148905A1 (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver device, and base station

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202111210399.2A Division CN113991267B (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN110291681A CN110291681A (en) 2019-09-27
CN110291681B true CN110291681B (en) 2021-10-22

Family

ID=63170081

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202111210399.2A Active CN113991267B (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station
CN201780086163.8A Active CN110291681B (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202111210399.2A Active CN113991267B (en) 2017-02-16 2017-02-16 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (2) US11139546B2 (en)
EP (1) EP3576218B1 (en)
KR (1) KR102259051B1 (en)
CN (2) CN113991267B (en)
CA (1) CA3053674C (en)
WO (1) WO2018148905A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (25)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108987863A (en) * 2018-09-18 2018-12-11 苏州市协诚五金制品有限公司 A kind of double zero crossings coupling ceramic filters
WO2020132915A1 (en) 2018-12-26 2020-07-02 华为技术有限公司 Dielectric duplexer
CN109546270B (en) * 2019-01-11 2020-07-28 华为技术有限公司 Filter
CN109687072B (en) * 2019-01-11 2020-04-21 苏州艾福电子通讯股份有限公司 Filter with a filter element having a plurality of filter elements
CN110048200B (en) * 2019-05-14 2024-03-26 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司 Dielectric waveguide filter and capacitive coupling structure thereof
CN110098456A (en) * 2019-05-24 2019-08-06 武汉凡谷电子技术股份有限公司 A kind of capacitive coupling device and the filter containing the capacitive coupling device
CN110148819B (en) * 2019-06-20 2024-03-26 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司 Capacitive coupling structure of dielectric waveguide filter and dielectric waveguide filter
JP7207193B2 (en) * 2019-06-21 2023-01-18 Agc株式会社 waveguide filter
CN110783670A (en) * 2019-10-25 2020-02-11 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司 Communication device, dielectric waveguide filter and capacitive coupling bandwidth adjusting method thereof
CN110661066B (en) * 2019-10-30 2024-03-26 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司 Communication device, dielectric waveguide filter and capacitive coupling bandwidth adjusting method thereof
CN111129667B (en) * 2019-11-25 2021-02-12 江苏希奥飞尔微电子科技有限公司 Negative coupling structure applied to dielectric waveguide filter and dielectric waveguide filter
CN111048874B (en) * 2019-12-11 2021-08-17 惠州市华磁微波技术有限公司 Dielectric filter and method for manufacturing the same
KR102344664B1 (en) * 2019-12-11 2021-12-30 주식회사 에이스테크놀로지 Ceramic Waveguide Filter and Manufacturing Method Thereof
CN111430855A (en) * 2019-12-31 2020-07-17 江苏灿勤科技股份有限公司 Dielectric filter and radio transceiver device including the same
CN211062834U (en) * 2019-12-31 2020-07-21 江苏灿勤科技股份有限公司 Dielectric filter and radio transceiver
CN113471649B (en) * 2020-03-30 2022-07-12 财团法人工业技术研究院 Filter
CN111370825B (en) * 2020-04-03 2021-03-26 南京理工大学 Balun filter based on ceramic dielectric resonator
CN111403864A (en) * 2020-04-03 2020-07-10 京信射频技术(广州)有限公司 Communication device, dielectric waveguide filter and capacitance coupling adjusting method thereof
CN111403863A (en) * 2020-04-03 2020-07-10 京信射频技术(广州)有限公司 Communication device, dielectric waveguide filter and capacitance coupling adjusting method thereof
CN111478008B (en) * 2020-04-17 2021-09-17 广东国华新材料科技股份有限公司 Dielectric waveguide duplexer
CN111478002B (en) * 2020-05-29 2021-06-22 京信射频技术(广州)有限公司 Dielectric waveguide filter and communication device
CN111740189B (en) * 2020-07-24 2024-03-12 中国电子科技集团公司第二十六研究所 Medium filter coupling conversion structure with shielding hole and communication equipment
US20230042666A1 (en) * 2021-08-09 2023-02-09 Meta Platforms, Inc. Apparatus, system, and method for achieving improved ground station design
KR102604231B1 (en) * 2021-09-07 2023-11-20 한국전자기술연구원 Ceramic waveguide filter for harmonic resonance mode suppression
US12113262B2 (en) * 2022-11-30 2024-10-08 Universal Microwave Technology, Inc. Cross-coupling structure for dielectric cavity filters

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4431977A (en) * 1982-02-16 1984-02-14 Motorola, Inc. Ceramic bandpass filter
CN1264187A (en) * 1999-02-17 2000-08-23 株式会社村田制作所 Dielectric filter, dielectric duplexer and carriage communication installation
CN103811835A (en) * 2012-11-15 2014-05-21 庄昆杰 Microwave low-band high-selectivity cavity medium filter and manufacturing method thereof
CN104364962A (en) * 2013-06-04 2015-02-18 华为技术有限公司 Dielectric resonator and dielectric filter, transceiver and base station using same

Family Cites Families (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5191305A (en) * 1991-07-02 1993-03-02 Interstate Electronics Corporation Multiple bandpass filter
US5926079A (en) * 1996-12-05 1999-07-20 Motorola Inc. Ceramic waveguide filter with extracted pole
JP3788369B2 (en) * 2001-04-10 2006-06-21 株式会社村田製作所 Dielectric filter, dielectric duplexer, and communication device
JP3329450B1 (en) * 2001-09-28 2002-09-30 ティーディーケイ株式会社 Dielectric device
CN1707851A (en) * 2005-04-14 2005-12-14 严盛喜 Ultrahigh frequency conjoined multi-cavity patch dielectric filter
CN101340014B (en) * 2008-08-01 2012-04-04 苏州艾福电子通讯有限公司 Ceramic dielectric filter and duplexer having slots
WO2011052328A1 (en) * 2009-10-28 2011-05-05 京セラ株式会社 Coaxial resonator, and dielectric filter, wireless communication module, and wireless communication device using the same
US9030279B2 (en) 2011-05-09 2015-05-12 Cts Corporation Dielectric waveguide filter with direct coupling and alternative cross-coupling
US10116028B2 (en) * 2011-12-03 2018-10-30 Cts Corporation RF dielectric waveguide duplexer filter module
CN108598635B (en) 2013-05-31 2020-07-03 华为技术有限公司 Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station
CN103618122B (en) * 2013-12-16 2017-05-17 武汉凡谷电子技术股份有限公司 dielectric waveguide filter
KR101677950B1 (en) * 2015-04-13 2016-11-21 주식회사 에이스테크놀로지 Cavity filter using cross-coupling
CN105244571B (en) 2015-09-17 2018-03-09 深圳三星通信技术研究有限公司 A kind of dielectric waveguide filter

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4431977A (en) * 1982-02-16 1984-02-14 Motorola, Inc. Ceramic bandpass filter
CN1264187A (en) * 1999-02-17 2000-08-23 株式会社村田制作所 Dielectric filter, dielectric duplexer and carriage communication installation
CN103811835A (en) * 2012-11-15 2014-05-21 庄昆杰 Microwave low-band high-selectivity cavity medium filter and manufacturing method thereof
CN104364962A (en) * 2013-06-04 2015-02-18 华为技术有限公司 Dielectric resonator and dielectric filter, transceiver and base station using same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN110291681A (en) 2019-09-27
CN113991267A (en) 2022-01-28
US11139546B2 (en) 2021-10-05
US20220021095A1 (en) 2022-01-20
CA3053674C (en) 2022-11-08
EP3576218A4 (en) 2020-02-26
CN113991267B (en) 2022-12-06
KR20190112151A (en) 2019-10-02
WO2018148905A1 (en) 2018-08-23
EP3576218A1 (en) 2019-12-04
US20190372189A1 (en) 2019-12-05
KR102259051B1 (en) 2021-05-31
US11664564B2 (en) 2023-05-30
CA3053674A1 (en) 2018-08-23
EP3576218B1 (en) 2022-09-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN110291681B (en) Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station
CN107534197B (en) Dielectric filter, transceiver and base station
Chaudhary et al. Dual-band bandpass filter with independently tunable center frequencies and bandwidths
KR101919456B1 (en) Dielectric ceramic waveguide duplexer
CN103985930A (en) Band-pass filter of novel snap ring strip line structure
KR20170048753A (en) Dielectric waveguide duplexer and designing method thereof
EP2950384B1 (en) Dielectric resonator, dielectric filter, and dielectric duplexer
CN110416669B (en) Dielectric filter, signal transceiver and base station
KR101187644B1 (en) Band sstop filter comprising coupling tuning plates
US10454148B2 (en) Compact band pass filter
CN210182542U (en) Dielectric filter, signal transmitting/receiving device and base station
CN110336107B (en) Band-pass or band-stop reconfigurable HMSIW filter
KR20130008817A (en) Microstrip transmission line apparatus having wide band planar filter
US20050116797A1 (en) Electronically tunable block filter
KR101265252B1 (en) Dielectric diplexer comprising resonator and communication device comprising the same
Pelluri et al. Compact QMSIW bandpass filter using composite right/left‐handed transmission line in grounded coplanar waveguide
EP3968452A1 (en) Multi-type filter assembly
Simpson et al. Suppressing In-Band Interference: A Compact Lumped-Element Bandpass Filter with Adaptive In-band Interference Suppression Capabilities
CN113054371A (en) Communication device and filter thereof
US20190372545A1 (en) Compact band pass filter with vias
CN113054390A (en) Filter and communication device
CN113036347A (en) Communication device and filter thereof
CN113036371A (en) Filter and communication equipment
CN113131129A (en) Communication device and filter thereof
CN113054358A (en) Communication equipment and filter

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PB01 Publication
PB01 Publication
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
GR01 Patent grant
GR01 Patent grant